Homegrown Karela (Bitter Gourd)

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Dear Readers,

Karela is a very bitter vegetable in taste still it is very popular in Indian subcontinent due to its medicinal values. Karela is also known by some other names like bitter gourd, bitter melon, bitter squash etc. Karela is a tropical vegetable and grows very well in warm temperatures. Karela belongs to cucurbitaceae family like other gourds. There are different varieties of karela plant but my favorite is pointed Indian one.

Karela can be easily grown in the ground or in a big (about 10-12 inch) pot/container. This climber / vine loves hot and sunny weather. So, if you have even a small area where you get about 8 hours of direct sun light, you can easily grow this non-attention seeker vine. I start growing karela from its seeds. If you live outside India, you can order karela seeds online.

Karela seeds

I live in a cold country where winters are very long. We have freezing weather in even March. I usually start germinating seeds indoor in April. I have planted karela in the small pots, so I can easily move them out when weather is nice and warm and move them in when it is cold in the evening. In May when weather is warm and there will not be any danger of the frost I will transfer the plants to the garden soil.

karela sprouts

I move my baby plants outside in the garden when the danger of last frost is over and night temperature rises. Karela grows very fast in summers. Usually after about 40-45 days of planting you will see first flower in the karela plant.

karela flower

Karela plants grows well in warm weather. Usually you will see flowers coming in the plant in about 45 days. And very soon after the flowers you will see the fruits. If weather is warm you may have your first karela in 60-70 days after planting.